Pet Owners Sue Over Agents' Failure to Make Them Stars

Earlier this month, a group of California pet owners sued Hollywood Paws, LLC, claiming that the company had not made good on promises that it would turn their pets into media stars. The owners allege that Hollywood Paws accepted thousands of dollars from them but did not or could not get their pets into acting jobs.

According to the report, Rachel Armstrong, owner of Goliath the Rottweiler, said she believed her dog "had the 'cool' factor that would get him into music videos" and had paid nearly $2000 hoping to advance that dream. (As the submitter of this story commented, it may be a while since Ms. Armstrong has seen a music video, if ever, because dogs typically do not star in those productions.) In fact, Goliath was actually rejected by "The Tyra Banks Show," which is a sad commentary indeed.

Hollywood Paws does say on its website that completing its courses (which include training dogs and cats to freeze, crawl or scratch on command) will not guarantee stardom, and the company's owner said the lawsuit was baseless and that the owners should never have expected pet fame. "Everybody knows . . . that there are actors and actresses waiting on tables until a part comes along," he said. "Who in L.A. doesn't know this?"